Inke’s Beauty Corner: Updating the Makeup Bag, Part 6 – Loose Powder

Inke’s Beauty Corner puts natural cosmetics to the test as possible replacements for her go-to products.

I have a thing for luminous, dewy, glossy skin. Then why the heck do I use powder?

Yep, good question. There’s no way I want my face to look powdered (you know the powdered look) nor caked. Neither do I want my foundation to do a runner, blusher to slip out of place or mascara to leave traces on oily eyelids. That’s why I, too, set my base makeup with powder.

But any old powder won’t do. In fact, I think this part of Updating the Makeup Bag with Natural Cosmetics has resulted in the most background work so far, despite having the chance to look for new favourites with personal guidance by Katja, who has after all tried everything! I still ended up bringing home several different products before finding the one that can do the job of my old favourite. (I’m so over having even a single makeup product in my cabinet that falls short!)

For me, the perfect powder is extremely fine-grained, silky smooth and leaves behind a gossamer-thin veil. If I could, I’d spritz it on my face to ensure it blends and falls like dry dew. (Why doesn’t a product like that exist by the way?)

I want my face to have a slight glow even after applying powder – chalky matt has no place in my makeup bag let alone on my face. I don’t mind if the powder blurs out my pores a little, but it mustn’t clog them. It also needs to play its part in ensuring my makeup is more durable. (I don’t expect miracles though, a workday is a workday, and for some reason the office gobbles up all the makeup from my face in less than eight hours).

A powder that doesn’t powder – is it too much to ask for? After all it’s a little too easy to find makeup that doesn’t doits job.

TESTING LOOSE POWDERS:

Why I love the original:

I think the Glossier loose powder was the first powder to make a bigger impression on me. That’s quite something considering it hasn’t been on the market for more than two years – and I’ve been using makeup for twenty.

Many of the powders I’ve tested in my life haven’t been that bad. They just haven’t felt any different than the next! Sometimes I did manage to go for the wrong shade, texture that was too rough or stone powder that was so sturdy it would hardly rub onto the powder pad. But powder they all did, usually too much so.

I began to understand my preferences along the way and noticed I was happiest with loose powder applied with a brush. No powder pads or tapping – but a super thin puff over my base makeup with a large brush was more than enough. It’s important to know when to stop blending and adding more: when to tap the brush on the side of the package and take another look to see if more is really needed.

Glossier Wowder

Not only was Glossier able to verbalise what I was after, but also produce it. (Okay, it’s happened a lot: either Glossier knows how to package carefree makeup trends or create them. Maybe both!)Wowder loose powder reduces shine without killing glow – and does it excellently. Although it’s a dry, dusty powder, something about the texture makes it feel a little moist. The same applies to the finish I manage to create with it.

Packaging is a plus: candy pink may not be my own top choice, but I value the usability. The powder is applied onto the brush through trampoline mesh, which is concealed when the jar is closed. Ta-dah – say goodbye to loose powder that flies all over the place and wafts onto the brush in excess. This type of lid should be compulsory for all powdery makeup products.

As I especially want my makeup that goes on larger areas of the skin to be natural (because that’s what most of the skincare products I use are as well!), I had to try and find a suitable natural alternative for my firm favourite. The list of ingredients in Wowder includes diamond powder – okay, wow– but also a silicone by the name of polymethylsilsesquioxane.As a starting point: an ingredient with that many letters should probably not be eaten or smothered over the face.

How does the natural option compare:

As I already mentioned, finding this loose powder took a bit more work than normal, but I’d say I found a good duplicate for my old favourite! The Dr. Hauschka Loose Powder seems to be a fairly new addition to the range, but I have a hunch it would work for many.

I can’t imagine anyone complaining about the texture: it’s like powdery silk. In fact, it ispowdery silk – silk is on the list of ingredients! The Dr. Hauschka website describes the powder as a light touch that creates a soft finish without drying. I couldn’t think of a better description myself.

But a word of warning and mild criticism about the really strong fragrance that slightly reminds of a bazaar. It’s not bad – but it is strong and potently (natural)perfume-y. If you are sensitive to fragrances, smell before you buy! I don’t feel the scent lingers on the face or in the nostrils for very long though, so I don’t let it get to me – the product itself looks and feels so good. I can even recommend it for anyone suffering with dryness!

Dr. Hauschka Irtopuuteri

According to the list of ingredients, the product has added fragrance (although natural), so if anyone with connections at Dr. Hauschka happens to read this, my humble wish would be for them to get rid of the fragrance or at least reduce the amount – it doesn’t really bring any added value. The product comes in traditional “sifter-like” packaging, which in my view could be replaced with the mesh version mentioned above. It’s something you can live with though, as long as you keep the powder pad between the lid and sifter.

Verdict:

I’ll be continuing with this after I’ve finished with my Wowder. I use so little powder that it may take time – it doesn’t run out quickly, my previous one lasted nearly a year!

Only one shade of the Dr. Hauschka powder is available, and I’m not sure how well the pale translucent shadereally works for darker skin tones. In my case at least the powder doesn’t alter the shade of my carefully chosen makeup base – hopefully it doesn’t leave others with a paler (or dark, yellow, orange etc.) veil either! The product costs just under 40 euros at Ruohonjuuri store,which seems reasonable for a large container that should last a long time for most people.

Okay – In addition to the loose powders, I have a translucent cheapy stone powder tucked away in a drawer at the office, too: sometimes I want to quickly hide a shiny nose in the middle of my workday without having to fiddle with a brush. Usually powders of this sort end up having a fateful death by dropping on a tiled bathroom floor, so I’ve learnt to skip the expensive ones and keep a cheaper one at hand for emergencies. Maybe it’s time to update the powder at the office for a good loose powder after all – there’s quite a difference!

If you think all powders are the same and you still haven’t come across one that stands out, this one could just change your mind! Thanks go to my reader who mentioned the Dr. Hauschka silk powder in a comment under a previous Beauty Corner post. I ended up trying out this “sidekick” that turned out to be a new favourite! (I think I’ll also have to try the silk powder bottle… Sounds like the perfect summer product!)

I found a luxury natural alternative even for my powder – I wonder what we’ll be updating next time?

Updating the makeup bag with natural cosmetics – what’s it all about?

Inke’s Beauty Corner is looking to swap go-to products in the makeup bag for natural products – they have to be just as good but hopefully better.

Inke’s Beauty Corner puts natural cosmetics to the test as possible replacements for her go-to products. I’ve been testing natural cosmetics brands with an open mind and without major preconceptions, […]